Case Number 21806

SOURCE CODE

The Charge

Make every second count

Opening Statement

Viewers who missed Moon may be forgiven. It was a sci-fi genre piece
that didn't promise big explosions or bug-eyed aliens, it didn't have a famous
actor in its leading role, and it was directed by the son of a pop start (Duncan
Jones, son of Davey Jones, a.k.a. David Bowie). Those who did tune in found a
visually inventive take on a human drama with lunar trappings, and one of the
more brilliant debuts and science-fiction films of the twenty-first century.
With Source Code, there's no excuse. Jones has kept the sci-fi trappings,
but wrapped them in a thriller plot, with a trio of big-name actors in the lead
and executed with a budget to match Jones's visual imagination. It's a sophomore
film that delivers on the promise of an excellent debut, simultaneously sating
the demand created by Moon while hopefully leaving fans expectant for
more of Jones' work. Combine this excellent film with a solid DVD, and Source
Code is a winner.

Facts of the Case

Source Code opens on a train, where Colter Stevens wakes up,
completely unaware of his surroundings. He's sitting across from a woman
(Michelle Monaghan, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) who seems to know him. When
Colter looks in a mirror, he's wearing the wrong face. He doesn't have long to
be confused, because a few moments later, the train explodes. Colter wakes up in
a strange pod, and he's being talked to by Capt. Goodwin (Vera Farmiga, The
Departed). She explains that he's part of a project dubbed "Source
Code" that allows him to relieve the 8 minutes of someone else's experience
before the train explosion. Capt. Goodwin explains that the train exploded
because of a bomb, and the bomber plans to hit Chicago unless he can be stopped.
Now it is up to Colter to relieve those 8 minutes over and over again, trying to
uncover the bomber.

The Evidence

People always ask writers where their ideas come from, but that's not the
difficult part of writing a story. It's relatively easy to get new ideas if you
just mash up some old ones. Take Source Code: What if Groundhog
Day was about stopping a terrorist rather than a guy learning not to be a
jerk? There, great idea and it wasn't so hard. The difficult part is deciding
what to do with that idea. Writer Ben Ripley had to figure out how to make the
plot device of recurring time work, how to balance what happens inside Source
Code and what happens in the real world, and most importantly, how to end it all
without copping out with some kind of "It was all a dream" ending.

Amazingly, Ripley manages to do all of that with aplomb, and Duncan Jones
gives the film the visual polish it needs to live up to the thrilling premise.
He doesn't overwhelm the viewer with flashy pyrotechnics, but includes enough
visual effects to sell the sci-fi premise. In many ways, despite the higher
budget, Source Code is reminiscent of Moon. Both films take place
primarily on limited sets with occasional forays into the wider world. This
grounds Source Code in a limited reality that makes its fantastic premise
a bit easier to swallow. When the time comes for those big effects moments,
Jones doesn't shy away from giving it everything he's got, with some
satisfyingly spectacular results.

That spectacle would be for nothing without the great central performances
of Gyllenhaal, Monaghan, and Farmiga. I wasn't sure if Gyllenhaal could
effectively pull of such an action oriented role, but his Colter is both
sympathetic and believable as a man of action. Monaghan does her best "girl
next door," playing a character we can only learn about obliquely, while
Farmiga plays Goodwin with a quiet authority.

To cap it all, Source Code gets an excellent DVD release. The 1.78:1
anamorphic transfer is absolutely up to scratch as far as contemporary Hollywood
movies are concerned. Detail is strong, colors are well-saturated, and the image
is delightfully free of digital artifacts. The 5.1 surround audio does an
equally strong job with both the dialogue (which is clear and free of
distortion) and the excellent score. Both the low end and surrounds get a
workout during the more action-oriented scenes, and overall this is a strong
track.

Extras start out with a commentary track featuring Jones, Ripley, and
Gyllenhaal. The trio sit down for a subdued track that combines preproduction
info with insights on how the film was shot and edited, as well as some comments
about his performance from Gyllenhaal. Subtitles are helpfully included for the
track. Another subtitle track includes trivia that plays throughout the movie,
giving general trivia about things like locations along with production-specific
info. These extras are followed by a series of featurettes called "Cast
Insights" that combine film footage with cast interviews discussing their
co-stars. It's an occasion for a bunch of backslapping, but a few interesting
tidbits come out of their reminisces. Finally, "Focal Points" includes
a series of short animated films talking about some of the scientific concepts
the film deals with. For instance, under the heading "Quantum
Physics," we're treated to an animated explanation of the double-slit
experiment. These are informative pieces, though a bit more commentary on how
they relate to the film would have been appreciated.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Source Code is a speculative sci-fi action thriller, so complaining
about how closely it cleaves to reality is perhaps somewhat silly. However, I'm
left with the nagging feeling that the whole "Source Code" idea is a
bit iffy. Time-bending movies often run up against this problem, and while
Source Code handles it better than most, sticklers for strict continuity
might have something to gripe about.

I'm also unsure if Source Code is going to have a lot of replay
value. Once the cat's out of the bag plot-wise, some fans might not want to come
back. I think the ending has enough emotional impact to warrant a re-watch, but
those just looking for the thriller aspects might not agree.

Closing Statement

For an action/sci-fi/thriller, Source Code is a remarkably fragile
film. Although it has all the twists and turns expected of the genre, it also
has a few emotional surprises up its sleeve, ones I wouldn't want to spoil. With
a strong DVD release, Source Code is worth at least a rental for anyone
looking for a mind-bending take on time travel, terrorism, and the possibility
of love.

The Verdict

I don't need to go back in time to see that Source Code is not
guilty.